The Princess of the Night: The Demon
by TheAnarchistEire
Summary: Marek has been defeated. The College is in safe hands. Gerard and Luna have finally been reunited. But when have things ever been so simple? Soon a demon from the past will surface, with terrible consequences for our heroes. (Sequel to The Princess of the Night: The Sorcerer)
1. Chapter 1 - Normality

The Princess of the Night: The Demon

Chapter 1 - Normality

Ever since their marriage, Luna had been very busy with her royal duties. Gerard knew it was selfish, but he missed being able to spend time with her like they used to, before the events that brought him to Equestria. He thought about Lily, hoping she was coping with the pressures of running the College and taking care of Marek. His powers were bound though, so it shouldn't be a problem he mused. He returned his attention to the scroll he was reading. It was from the Starswirl the Bearded wing of the Canterlot Archives, his favourite place in the whole castle.

He was trying to discover the nature of time, and the theoretical application of it within the symbols of the Dimensional Jump. Mind melting concepts, even for the unicorn. He often talked to Luna for hours about his theories, and when she was too busy, Twilight was always eager to talk. She was extremely competent, Gerard had to admit. He had not seen a unicorn of that power since Starswirl, and if she continued to progress at the rate she currently was, she would soon surpass even the old mage. That is, he thought, if she were a bit more rational. Gerard still remembered the 'Grand Galloping Gala Incident'. He and Luna had never laughed so hard in all their existence.

It was the kind of chaos that Marek would have loved, he mused. It was odd, but having his head completely to himself was an unsettling sensation. It was fine when he was with Luna, but at times like these, when he was on his own, that Gerard began to miss Marek's sarcastic little comments. But then he came to his senses and remembered when Marek had tried to kill him, and the loneliness became bearable again.

"Please Supreme Pyromancer, show us again!" chorused the assembled students. Lily smiled good-naturedly before speaking.

"Now I've told you a hundred times, call me Lily."

"Please Lily, please!"

Lily laughed as the students looked up at her in anticipation. Then she noticed the figure hiding in the shadows, trying to stay out of sight. Their eyes met and Lily felt a surge of anger, fire flaring in her hands instinctively. It spread along her arms to her torso, then the rest of her body, leaving her skin and clothes unharmed. The students gasped and applauded, while Marek scowled from the dark corner he occupied.

He hated her. He hated that she had played a key role in his downfall. He hated the fact that she still had her magic, while he had none. Technically speaking, this was untrue. Marek wished he had no magic. Rather, all the binding runes did was block the flow of magic. He could feel the power, ebbing and flowing, always just beyond his grasp. It was slowly driving him insane. Something had to be done, and so he bided his time, waiting for his chance to strike.

He looked up and noticed the room was empty, except for himself and Lily. Marek scowled some more and Lily laughed.

"And to think that I was once afraid of you. I saw what you did that day in the café and I saw you for what you really are, even if Gerard didn't. I always knew it would come down to you versus him." She stopped and thought for a moment before chuckling. "Talk about battling your inner demons."

"You have been getting very cocky since my powers were bound," growled Marek, "but mark my words, they will not remain bound forever. When I have my strength back, I will lay waste to this world, and I will make you watch every second of it."

Lily's eyes hardened. "Careful Marek. Keep talking like that and I might just have to call Gerard back here to knock more sense into you. You have to remember that Luna still lives here in this time. If he thinks there's any chance she's in danger, he won't hesitate to kill you."

Marek went pale and mumbled something before turning and storming out of the room. Lily sighed, visibly relaxing.

"He's planning something," came a voice from the shadows. Lily whirled around, fire already flaring in her hands. It died out when the flickering flames revealed nothing more than Anton McAllister, the new Supreme Necromancer. A creepy man, but then Lily had never met a user of shadow magic that was not creepy.

"Let him plan. His powers are bound, and they'll stay bound."

Anton nodded. "Yes, I suppose you're right. It's a pity you know, that he's evil. We could learn so much from him."

"He's all the bad aspects of Gerard's personality, he can never be anything but evil."

"I wouldn't be so sure," argued Anton, "He's a person in his own right now, with his own thoughts and feelings. There's always a chance he may redeem himself."

"You don't know him like I do Anton. You haven't seen him fight. He has killed and laughed and killed again. There is no redemption for people like him."

"Not if you think like that, there isn't." Anton said before walking away, leaving Lily with her thoughts.

Gerard was waiting on the watchtower as the sun began to set, painting the sky a vibrant orange. The colour slowly deepened, and the sky began to fade from azure, through to royal blue, then purple, then black.

"I remember when we would sit underneath the willow tree at home and watch the sunset together," Luna said from behind him in a wistful tone. Gerard rose and turned, embracing the lunar princess.

"They are some of my fondest memories," he smiled.

They parted and Luna approached the telescope, recalibrating the apertures.

"So, what magical concept has captured your attention today?" she inquired, slowly swivelling the telescope.

"Time."

"Ah, it is a difficult one. Could you be more specific?"

"I'm trying to figure out how to incorporate it into the Dimensional Jump. I mean, if I can travel through space, why not space-time?"

"I am sure Einstein would approve."

"I'm sure he would."

Gerard put away the scroll and approached Luna.

"So, anything interesting on the telescope?" he asked, trying to nudge Luna out of the way. She laughed and pushed him away with a hoof.

"Apart from a party in Ponyville and some drunken ponies in Las Pegasus, no. Everything is quiet."

Gerard snuck up on Luna from behind, like the pony ninjas of old. When he was ready he pounced, knocking her to the ground. He jumped up, victorious, and looked through the telescope. He loved seeing drunk ponies fall over. He heard a groan from behind him and spun, worried he'd hurt his wife. The space behind him was completely devoid of Luna. Gerard cocked his head to the side, confused. There was a cough from above, and Gerard looked up in time to see Luna swoop down on top of him.

"Oh Gerard, you are so easily fooled," she laughed softly.

"No, this is all part of my ingenious plan."

"Oh? So you now have me exactly where you want me?"

"Yes," he said, and kissed her.

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><p><strong>AN: So there you have it, the first chapter of The Demon. I realize it's a slow start, but I think Gerard and Luna deserve it. Things will pick up quite a bit from this point onward, so this is your warning. There will be quite a bit of graphic violence in the following chapters (similar to the last story). For anyone who hasn't read my first story (The Princess of the Night: The Sorcerer), I would highly recommend reading it first so you'll have some idea of what's going on. As always if you enjoyed this chapter, or if you spotted a problem, please leave a review telling me about it (Heaven knows I need them to notice my story flaws *cough-day2-cough*).**


	2. Chapter 2 - Darkness Unleashed

Chapter 2 – Darkness Unleashed

**A/N: Yay, spooky chapter title! I think naming the chapters is one of my favorite parts of writing these fics (well, that and the Gerard-Marek character dynamic). It can be hard sometimes to get a fitting title that sums up the content of the chapter. Sometimes however the perfect name just pops in to your head, and in doing so molds the chapter to fit it. But enough author rambling, I'm sure you just want to find out what happens next! Remember to review and fav if you enjoyed the chapter.**

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><p>"Lily, can you tell these incompetent bumbling fools to leave me alone?" inquired Marek.<p>

"Maybe if you stop calling them incompetent bumbling fools," she replied.

"Ugh, fine. Can you get these _students_ to leave me alone?" he said with disgust.

"You're forgetting the magic word," she said in a sing-song voice.

Marek scowled. There was a pause, then:

"Please."

The word sounded strangled and foreign in his mouth.

Lily, amazed that that had actually worked, turned to the students, who were carefully examining the binding runes branded on to his wrists.

"Ok, that's enough you guys, get back to class."

The students all groaned before skulking off to the Symbology classroom. It amazed Lily that even in a school of magic, the students still loathed classes. Work was work she supposed.

"Thanks for that," said Marek, walking over.

"You're welcome," said Lily slowly, not used to Marek being courteous.

"So, how's life treating you?"

"Marek, just stop. This is getting unsettling. Tell me what you want," said Lily, mentally calculating the distance to the exit.

"Want?" asked Marek, feigning innocence. "I don't want anything. I'm just being nice. Courteous. Isn't that how people are meant to talk to each other?"

"Yes, but you're not a person! You're a personality disorder given physical form!" retorted Lily, who began to edge towards the door.

Marek looked wounded. "Lily, I'm hurt! That's what you think of me, after everything we've been through?"

"Yes. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have business to attend to," she said, reaching for the door handle.

Marek's hand closed around her wrist like a vice, his nails digging into her skin. Lily twirled, fire flaring in her hand, a cry for help forming on her lips, but Marek swatted it away, spinning her back around and moving his arm around her neck, cutting off her oxygen. They moved back in to the room as hurried footsteps approached the door. It swung open to reveal a figure dressed in black.

"Ah, Anton, is it?" asked Marek, tightening his grip around Lily's neck. "Do you think you could make yourself useful and find me a student that can transform me, or at least one who can bypass these binding sigils?"

Anton stood in the doorway, impassive as always.

"Let her go," he said coldly.

Marek actually laughed at this.

"Sure, and while I'm at it I'll just let you chain me up." All traces of humour left his voice. "No. if you want to stop me, you'll have to kill me."

"So be it," responded Anton, drawing two sword hilts. They were dark, with gold inlays and red pommels . Marek raised his eyebrow doubtfully.

"You know you need a sharp bit to actually do damage, yeah?"

Even as he said this the shadows converged on the hilts and formed wickedly sharp blades, intricate in design and very deadly looking indeed. Marek nodded.

"Yeah, exactly like that."

He flung Lily behind him, smirking when he heard the satisfying crack of her head hitting the wall.

"You just made a big mistake," growled Anton, lunging forward and swiping at Marek's head with his twin blades. Marek instinctively raised his arms to block the blow, and screamed. It was a long, drawn out howl of pure anguish that continued after his severed hands fell to the floor. After a moment he looked at Anton, his eyes glinting.

"No, you did."

Anton looked at Marek's severed hands, and the binding sigils etched in to the wrists.

His face paled as Marek began to stand, his hands already reforming.

"Now I'll admit, that hurt a lot more than I thought it would, but I think it was worth it, don't you?" his hands were now fully formed, and the shadows behind him began to writhe. "Now, how about I show you some real Necrokinesis?"

The shadows behind Marek grew spikes, which launched themselves at Anton. Anton swept his arms upward, raising a wall of darkness that absorbed the shadow knives. Marek responded with a column of shadow, which punched through Anton's shield as if it were nothing. It slammed into Anton, pinning him against the wall.

The Supreme Necromancer struggled against the darkness, sending a shard of shadows that sliced Marek's cheek open. Marek's eyes widened as he raised his hand to his face, feeling the blood. His shadows faltered for a moment before becoming solid again, pressing against Anton with enough force to break ribs.

"Let go of him," whispered Lily from behind Marek. "Let him go or I'll burn you!"

Marek scoffed. "Please, you can't hurt me, not now that I have my powers back!"

Marek felt Lily's arms clamping together around his torso.

"Wanna bet?" she asked in his ear before igniting.

Marek's shadows flailed erratically as he struggled and shouted in pain. Everywhere Lily touched was catching fire, the extreme heat searing his skin. The shadows trapping Anton wavered, and he broke free. He advanced towards Marek, his necromantic blades forming once more. Marek's shadows withdrew, melting into his body, and just as Anton raised his blades to strike, they erupted from him in a shockwave of pure death energy. Lily was flung backwards, once again slamming into the wall. The shadows held her and Anton in place, though only barely. Marek was on his knees, swaying after the intensity of his attack. He slowly got to his feet, the burns on his back and torso desperately trying to heal. After a few moments he gave up and began instead to create symbols on the floor, absentmindedly muttering to himself. The symbols held no meaning to Anton, but they were chillingly familiar to Lily. There was a flash of light, and within it Lily thought she could see the outline of a vaguely equine shape. As the light faded the shadows loosened, dropping Lily and Anton to the ground.

"This is bad."


	3. Chapter 3 - Panic Stations

Chapter 3 – Panic Stations

**A/N: So, here's Chapter 3, only two days late! I've started college this year, so there's a huge possibility that I won't be able to update as regularly with all the work I have. But yeah, in saying that, I've already started on the next chapter, and it has quite a bit of Marek being silly and just a bit evil ;) I'm trying to develop the characters a bit more in this story, so tell me how you think I'm going on that front. In fact, if you want to say anything about the chapter (or the story in general), just leave a review. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some Shadow of Mordor to play! :P Enjoy!**

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><p>"Oh no, not good, very not good, extremely bad," said Lily, pacing the room frantically. Anton simply stood there, staring vacantly at the spot Marek had just occupied, the symbols on the ground still smoking. The shadows that were his blades convulsed and dissipated. Lily continued to hyperventilate, unable to form coherent thoughts beyond a general impression of bad. Anton's grip on his hilts slackened and they fell to the ground with a deafening clatter. This broke Lily out of her panic and stopped her pacing.<p>

"Lily?" he asked quietly, a slight quiver in his voice, "Did I just unleash an unimaginable evil on to the world?"

"That…" Lily said reluctantly, "would be an accurate summation, yes."

Anton sagged.

"Well that's just… I don't know. What is that?"

"It's… it's pretty bad Anton, I'm not going to lie. But what it isn't is your fault. You couldn't have known."

Lily approached Anton and hugged him.

"And if you hadn't acted when you did? He would have killed me."

Then she placed her mouth right next to Anton's ear and said softly:

"I owe you my life."

As she pulled away she kissed Anton's cheek before turning and walking away. Anton simply stood there, dumbstruck. As soon as she left the room, Lily headed towards her bedroom. She was still worried about Marek's escape and its implications for Gerard, but at the same time she could not stop thinking about Anton, and the fact that she had kissed him.

"Now is not the time Lily," she chastised herself quietly.

When she arrived at her room she went straight for the mirror on her night-stand. Around its frame many different symbols were carved. Lily touched the newest symbol, a crescent moon. The surface of the mirror flexed, and suddenly Lily was no longer looking at herself. Instead she saw a woman with long, flowing dark hair, deep blue eyes and a pale complexion.

"Ah, Lily!" beamed Luna, "It has been too long. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Lily swallowed nervously. "Well… there's been a development."

"With Anton? Oh, do tell," said Luna in a mock conspiratorial tone.

"Umm, well there's that too I suppose… Yeah, I may have kissed him."

Luna's eyes twinkled. "Oh, this is wonderful! Do tell how this came to pass!" the lunar princess was beside herself with glee at this point.

"That's why I called actually. You see," Lily took a moment to compose herself, "Marek's escaped."

Luna froze. "I am sorry? I must have misheard. I believe you said Marek escaped?"

Lily nodded meekly. The look of confusion on Luna's face gave way for one of intense worry.

"Well where is he? Why have you not sent mages out to track him?"

"Because I already know exactly where he is." Luna's expectant look prompted Lily to continue. "Equestria. He's in Equestria."

Lily hadn't thought the princess could get any paler than she already was, but she was wrong. Luna looked as if she might faint.

"I see."

Luna rose from where she was seated and walked to a filing cabinet. She opened it and began rifling through the contents, muttering something to herself. When she found what she was looking for, she returned to the mirror clutching a large bundle of notes.

There was a flash of light and Luna was standing in Lily's room.

"Come Lily, we have work to do," she said, already moving towards the door. "Assemble the Supreme Council of Mages."

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><p>"Lily, what is the meaning of this? I was in the middle of some very important research!" complained the Runemaster.<p>

"We have more pressing matters at hand Charles," insisted Lily, sitting in her seat at the top right of the table in the Meeting Room. The Cryomancer, Aeromancer, Geomancer and Energy Thrower were already present. Charles was no doubt about to make a further complaint, but at this moment Luna strode in to the room, silencing everyone. Anton skulked in behind her, taking his seat next to Lily.

"Hey, are you ok?" Lily asked in a hushed tone as Luna took her seat at the head of the table.

"Lily, I'm responsible for releasing the most dangerous sorcerer in existence, of course I'm not ok!" he hissed.

Lily almost recoiled at the venom in his voice.

"Fine. Be that way," she said, turning to face Luna in case he noticed the tears threatening to form in her eyes. She was looking at Charles, the oldest and most self–centred member of the new Supreme Council.

"Do you think you can draw these symbols?" Luna asked him, handing over the files she had brought from Gerard's house.

"My dear, I am the Runemaster, there is no symbol I canno…" Charles trailed off as he surveyed the glyphs detailed within the files. He licked his lips, all sense of self-importance gone. "Wh- who designed these?"

"Gerard," answered Lily hollowly, looking at the table. Luna looked at her with concern, but her eyes hardened as her gaze swept to Anton, who looked away in shame.

"Ah. Well, it will be difficult, but I believe I can do it," said Charles. Then, under his breath, "Maybe."

"You'd better hope you can Charles, the fate of my homeland depends on it," replied Luna.

"Now, the rest of you. I want you to gather up the most powerful students in all of your disciplines and begin training them to use their magic for combat purposes."

"You think we'll need to fight?" asked the Aeromancer.

"This is Marek we are talking about, I am certain we will need to fight. The only question is whether we will be ready to take him on when the time comes. That is all, you are dismissed," said Luna, and the Supreme Council rose and began filing towards the door. "Not you Anton. I wish to have a word with you."

Lily looked back, her eyes glinting with fear at the steel in Luna's voice. Luna noticed and said "Do not worry Lily. Wait for me in your chambers, I will arrive shortly."

When the room was empty except for the princess and the Necromancer, Luna turned to Anton.

"Lily is a kind, beautiful, intelligent and powerful woman. But she is also broken. This is something you must remember Anton. Do not direct your anger at her. Direct it instead at the one who deserves it."

Anton nodded curtly and swiftly left the room.

Luna waited until the door closed before teleporting to Lily's bedroom.

"I do not think he will react like that again," said Luna softly.

Lily looked up from where she sat on the bed. "Thank you."

Luna joined Lily on the bed and wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

"Luna, what's going to happen next?"

"I-I honestly do not know Lily. But whatever happens, I am sure Gerard and the Supreme Council will be able to deal with it."

Lily stiffened. "You mean you're not going to help?"

"Lily, I cannot. You must remember, Marek resides in my homeland. There I have already returned. I shudder to think what would happen if two different versions of myself were to meet.

"Why?" asked Lily, "What would happen?"

"I do not know, but I would rather not find out through experience. I will be sure to ask Gerard when I am reunited with him."

"It must be nice knowing how your future plays out," mused Lily.

"It is quite useful, yes," laughed Luna, "knowing that one day I will see my beloved again. If I am to be honest, I believe it is all that keeps me going."

The pair sat in silence for a moment.

"He will realise eventually how you feel about him. You just need to give him time."

"I hope you're right," sighed Lily.

"I am an immortal Alicorn who has found her soul mate, of course I am right!" teased Luna as she rose from the bed. "Now, go and find your strongest Pyromancers, we have some training to do!"

"What are you going to do?" Lily asked Luna, the ghost of a smile touching her lips.

"I am going to see if that pompous Runemaster Charles needs some help with the Dimensional Jump," she replied, her tone turning slightly sour.

At hearing this, Lily finally smiled.


	4. Chapter 4 - Marek's Greatest Challenge

Chapter 4 – Marek's Greatest Challenge

**A/N: So here's chapter 4, with extra Marek antics! This chapter revolves around our beloved villain, including a nice little flashback about halfway through. This chapter also marks one of the first times I've tried to write dialogue for one of the mane six, so please tell me if you thought it was in character or not. As always, remember to review/fav!**

Marek emerged from a brilliant flash of light, stumbling into a nearby tree. He wrapped his hooves around it in an attempt to steady himself.

"Right, hooves, that's a good start," he muttered to himself. "Ok, standing, how does that work again?"

Marek pushed away from the tree and placed all four hooves on the ground. For a moment he remained upright, then he began to wobble. A wave of dizziness overcame him and his legs gave in, sending him face-first into the dust.

"Note to self; standing is more difficult than it looks."

Just then the silence was broken by a voice, so quiet and hesitant that at first Marek was sure he had imagined it.

"Umm… Excuse me? D-do you need some help?

Marek scanned the shadows intently, unable to find the source of the voice.

"Uh, up here," whispered the distinctly feminine voice.

Marek looked up to see a butter-yellow Pegasus with a vibrant pink mane looking at him with concern.

"Help?" pondered Marek, "I don't need any help!"

Marek attempted to rise to his hooves once more to prove his statement, but all he received for his efforts was some ground to the face.

"A-are you sure? You look like you're having some difficulty," said the mare, edging towards him.

"No! I don't need anyone's help!" Marek growled from where he lay. The yellow Pegasus flinched at the outburst. Marek tried once again to rise to his hooves. He almost made it. All he had to do was straighten his legs, but he couldn't. It was like a great weight was placed on his back, and it forced him to reunite with what was now his least favourite patch of ground in the entire universe.

Marek sighed in frustration. He lay there, utterly defeated by his inability to stand.

The Pegasus landed and gingerly approached Marek's prone form, helping him to stand with some difficulty, her yellow hooves encircling his brown torso.

"Sorry, I'm not used to lifting more than a bunny or two."

"It's… It's fine," Marek muttered quietly. Then, in a tone more suited to him, "I would have done it myself. Eventually."

"My name's Fluttershy, what's yours?" she asked as she slowly carried him away from the treeline. Marek could hear the gurgling of a small stream nearby.

"M…" began Marek, but then he stopped. This could be a great opportunity to have some fun. "Gerard. My name's Gerard."

"It's very nice to meet you Gerard. What were you doing out in the Everfree Forest so late at night?

"Umm… I was… experimenting? Yes, I was experimenting with magic, that's it!"

"Oh, you like magic. Maybe when you've healed I could introduce you to my friend Twilight, she loves experimenting with magic."

The name set alarm bells ringing in Marek's head. Twilight, the lavender mare from the party. The one Gerard had such problems talking to.

_Marek stared idly through Gerard's eyes, barely taking in the titles on the books. While it was true that he was just as intelligent as Gerard, and shared his love of books, he simply wasn't in a reading mood at that moment. He barely registered the cough that caused Gerard to jump in fear. As soon as he saw the mare sitting on the bed in the half-light however, he became instantly alert. Here, he thought, was something worth paying attention to. Over his years in Equestria Marek had gained an appreciation for the equine form. Admittedly, some would have found this Twilight Sparkle's form a tad thin, but Marek didn't mind._

_His train of thought was interrupted by a deafening silence._

"_Well this is awkward…" he stated._

"_Tell me about it," responded Gerard. "I mean, is she just going to stand there all night?"_

_I wouldn't mind… thought Marek to himself. To Gerard however, he said;_

"_Well if it's that bad, why don't you say something?"_

"_What?! Me? You're the only pony I've talked to in centuries, and I'm still not sure if you're even a pony!"_

_Marek chuckled at Gerard's reaction. If only Gerard knew what he truly was, then he would fear Marek as he should. But Marek wanted to be left alone to observe the Unicorn some more, so he said;_

"_Well you spoke to Starswirl all the time…"_

"_Yeah, about magic! That's different!"_

_Marek couldn't pass up the opportunity to embarrass Gerard._

"_Chrysalis was your friend, wasn't she?"_

"_Please don't mention that weirdo she-demon…" he begged._

"_Okie dokie lokie!" replied Marek, unsure what possessed him to respond in such a way._

"_You can be so odd…" sighed Gerard._

"_I'm just trying to help. But seriously, you have to say something…"_

He grinned wickedly in anticipation of what he could do. He noticed they had arrived at a tree house quite similar to Twilight's library, only in miniature. Fluttershy took him inside and lay him on the sofa before turning on the light. She gasped in horror when she saw the ghastly burns on his body and the cut on his muzzle.

"Oh my! This is dreadful! Stay right there, I'll get my medical supplies!"

As she left the room Marek was given some time to survey his situation. His wounds cried out for attention, and he was barely managing to stay conscious due to the pain. But for the first time in several months, he was happy. He had a sense of purpose now. He was once again free to torment Gerard and destroy anyone in his path.

Fluttershy returned with her first aid box and began to tend to Marek's wounds. By the time she was finished Marek was covered in bandages and reeked of disinfectant and antiseptic.

"There, all finished. You can stay here for a few days to rest up and regain your strength. Then we can see about arranging that meeting with Twilight."

"Yeah, that sounds good," replied Marek. Not wanting to break character he continued, "And thanks for patching me up Fluttershy, it was really kind of you."

"It was no problem at all," she beamed, "Goodnight Gerard."

"Goodnight Fluttershy," said Marek, already drifting off to sleep.


End file.
